Eye-shank button holder attachment



Aug. 25, 1959 c BYERS 2,900,935

EYE-SHANK BUTTON HOLDER ATTACHMENT Filed May 31, 1957 uvmvron. ca /4245s 1.. eve-es,

' nrroe/ws vs w I-w United States Patent 2,900,935 'EYE-SHANK BUTTON HOLDER ATTACHMENT Charles L. Byers, Coatesville, Pa., assignor of one-half to Floyd R. Blume, Parkesburg, Pa.

Application May 31, 1957, Serial No. 662,847 3 Claims. (Cl. 112-109.)-

The present invention relates to an eyeshank button holder attachment for a sewing machine of the zigzag stitch forming vibrating needle type. 9

An object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for holding eye-shank buttons on the bed of a sewing machine of the zigzag stitch forming vibrating needle type which lends itself to rapid insertion of the button in such a holder and rapid sewing of the button to a workpiece. r

Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye-shank button holder attachment for a sewing machine of the Zigzag stitch forming vibrating needle type which is quickly and easily attached to such a sewing machine, one which. requires no alteration of the sewing machine for attachment thereto, one which is simple in structure and of few parts, easily manufactured and assembled, and one which is economically practical.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following de scription when, taken in connection with the annexe drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is an elevational view ofa portion of the head and a portion of the bed, of a sewing machine of the Zigzag stitch forming vibrating needle type, showing the attachment of the present invention installed, thereon;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational View, taken, from,

the end of the sewing machine, showing in dotted lines the out of use position of the spring finger of the present invention which is used to hold the button within. the attachment; and

Figure 4 is an isometric exploded view of the components of the attachment according to the present invention. i

Referring in greater detail to the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts; throughout the several views, the eye-shank button holding attachment according to the present invention comprises a block member having spaced sides 11 and 12, a flat top 13, a flat bottoml14, and front and rear ends 15 and 16, respectively. The

attachment is for use with a sewing machine having a head 17 from which depends a vibrating needle 18 which moves laterally on alternate downward strokes with respect to and through the bed 19 of the sewing machine. The bed 19 is adapted for support of a workpiece (not shown) thereon. The sewing machinehead 17 also has a presser foot bar 21 mountedtherein for reciprocal up and down movement, the lower end of the bar 21 being adapted for attachment thereto of a conventional presser foot (not shown) and to which is attached a retaining element 22 which constitutes a portion of the attachment according to the present invention.

The block member 10 is positioned with its bottom 14 resting upon the bed 19 of the sewing machine with the front end 15 of the block member 10 in the path of travel of the needle 18 in each ofits positions of vioratory movement laterally of the bed 19.

The block member 10 has a slot 23 extending inwardly from the front end 15 between the sides 11 and 12 from the top 13 to the bottom 14 and terminating at a point spaced from the rear end 16 of the block member 10,

As shown most clearly in Figure 4, there is a portion of the block member 10 on each side of the slot 23 cut away inwardly from the front end 15 and contiguous to the front end 15 between the sides 11 and 12 from the top 13 to a point spaced from the bottom 14 to provide a channel opening outwardly of the end 15 for the reception therein of the eye-shank of an eye-shank button, shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 and designated generally by the reference numeral 24.

the block member 10, the leg 25 is in registry with the channel formed by the cutaway portions of the block member 10 and the adjacent part of the slot 23, such channel being designated in Figure 4 by the reference numeral 27. The leg 25 of the element 22 is provided with an aperture 28 extending therethrough for receiving the portion of the eye-shank 29 adjacent the button 24 when the latter is positioned longitudinally of the block member 10 with the shank 29 received in the channel 27 and resting upon the shoulders provided by the cutaway portions of the block member 10, such shoulders being designated by the reference numeral 31.

The leg 26 of the retaining element 22, constituting a upper end of the leg 25 and in registry with the channel 27'and a part of the slot 23 in the block member 10 when the leg 26 overlies the block member 10 in a use position.

The supporting part of the retaining element 22 consists in an upwardly extending channel-shaped member 33 having a slot 34 therein and an adaptor to overlie the presser foot bar 21 with a thumb screw 35 received through the slot 34 and threadedly engaged in the lower end portion of the bar 21.

The present invention provides an upstanding spring finger 36 having the upper end provided with apertures receiving set screws 37 for fixing that end of the spring finger to the head 17 of the sewing machine onthe lower end of the latter in registry with the needle 18. The spring finger is jointed as at 38 in Figure 3 so that the lower end portion thereof is, swingable from the full line position to the dotted line position, the lower'end portion being designated by the reference numeral 39-. A cupshaped element 41 is carried on the lower endportion of the spring finger 36 and has a concave face receiving the button 24 when the latter is positioned longitudinally of the block member 10 with the shank 29 received in the channel27.

The block member 1% is provided with an aperture 42 for receiving therethrough a machine screw 43 for secur ing the block member 19 to the bed 19 of the sewingmachine. Means is provided for positioning the block member 10 upon the bed member 19, in one form of the invention, consists in a downwardly depending pin- 44 removably received within a suitable aperture provided in the bed 19 for the attachment thereto of conventional sewing machine attachments such as button hole making devices and the like.

In Figure 2, the reference numeral 45 refers to a pair of work piece transport mechanisms operatively mounted within the bed 19 of the sewing machine and not further described as not being a part of the present invention.

In use, the holder for an eye-shank button is attached to the bed 19 of the sewing machine with the block memwith the retaining element 22 removably secured to the I lower end portion of the presser foot bar 21. The spring finger 36may be secured to the head 17 of the sewing machine and the lower end portion 39 swung upwardly out of the way when it is not desired to use the latter. A button 24 is placed longitudinally of the block member with the shank 29 thereof inserted into the channel 27 and resting upon the shoulders 31 with the opening through the shank 29 in registry with the slot 23. The button 24 may be held by the fingers'of the user or the lower end portion 39 of the spring finger 36 may be swung to its vertical position and used to press a button 24 toward the block member 10. Upon operation of the sewing machine, the needle 18 will first make one stitch through the eye of the eye-shank 29 and then exteriorly of the eye to thereby sew the button to a workpiece (not shown) positioned between the portion of the block member 10 adjacent the front end and the underside of the leg 26 of the retaining element 22, it being understood that the workpiece is so positioned as to underlie the shank 29 when the latter is within the channel 27.

What is claimed is:

1. An eye-shank button holder attachment comprising a block member having spaced sides, a fiat top, a fiat bottom, a front and a rear end, adapted to be positioned so that the front end is in the path of travel of a needle of a sewing machine of the zigzag stitch forming vibrating needle type with the bottom adapted to rest upon a workpiece supporting bed of said machine, said block member having a slot extending inwardly from said front end between the sides from the top to the bottom and terminating at a point spaced from the rear end of said member, there being a portion of said block member cut away inwardly of said front end on each side of said slot between the sidesof said member from the top to a point spaced from the bottom of said member to provide a channel for the reception of the eye-shank of an eye-shank button, an upstanding retaining element adapted to be positioned forwardly of the front end of said block member, said element having an aperture extending therethrough for extension therethrough of the portion of the.

eye-shank adjacent the button, means on said element for detachably securing same to a presser foot bar of said machine, and an upstanding spring finger having the upper end adapted to be secured to a head of said sewing machine and having the lower end adapted to bear against the button of an eye-shank button when the eye-shank of I said button is supported in the aperture of said element and channel of said block member, said finger being jointed with the lower end portion being swingable about the joint to a position such that the lower end is away from the bearing-against position.

2. An eye-shank button holder attachment comprising a block member having spaced sides, a flat top, a flat bottom, a front and a rear end, adapted to be positioned so that the front end is in the path of travel of a needle of a sewing machine of the Zigzag stitch forming vibrating needle type with the bottom adapted to rest upon a workpiece supporting bed of said machine, said block member having a slot extending inwardly from said front end between the sidesfrom the top to the bottom and terminating at a point spaced from the rear end of said member, there being a portion of said block member cut away inwardly of said front end on each side of said slot between the sides of said member from the top to a point spaced from the bottom of said member to provide a channel for the reception of the eye-shank of an eye-shank button, an upstanding retaining element adapted to be positioned forwardly of the front end of said block member, a shelf carried by the upper end of said element and adapted to overlie the part of said block member adjacent the front end, said shelf having a slot extending inwardly from the upper end of said element, and in registry with said channel and a part of said block member slot when said shelf is in the overlying position, said element having an aperture extending therethrough for extension therethrough of the portion of the eye-shank adjacent the button, means on said element for detachably securing same to a presser foot bar of said machine, and an up- -standing spring finger having the upper end adapted to be secured to a head of said sewing machine and having the lower end adapted to bear against the button of an eye-shank button when the eye-shank of said button is supported in the aperture of said element and channel of said block member, 'said finger being jointed with the lower end portion being swingable about the joint to a position such that the lower end is away from the bearingagainst position.

3. An eye-shank button holder attachment comprising I a block member having spaced sides, a flat top, a flat bottom, a front and a rear end, adapted to be positioned so that the front end is in the path of travel of a needle of a sewing machine of the Zigzag stitch forming vibrating needle type with the bottom adapted .to rest upon a workpiece supporting bed of said machine, said block member having a slot extending inwardly from said front end between the sides from the top to the bottom and terminating at a point spaced from the rear end of said member, there being a portion of said block member cut away inwardly of said front end on each side of said slot between the sides of said member from the top to a point spaced from the bottom of said member to provide a channel for the reception of the eye-shank of an eye-shank button, an upstanding retaining element adapted to be positioned forwardly of the front end of said block member, said element having an aperture extending therethrough for extension therethrough of the portion of the eye-shank adjacent the button, means on said element for detachably securing same to a presser foot bar of said machine, and an upstanding spring finger having the upper end adapted to be secured to a head of said sewing machine and having the lower end provided with a cupshaped element adapted to bear against-the button of an eye-shank button when the eye-shank of said button is supported in the aperture of said element and channel of said block member, said finger. being jointed with the lower end portion being swingable about the joint to a position such that the cup element is away from the bearing-against position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 998,595 Barron July 25, 1911 1,085,786 Barron Feb. 3, 1914 2,131,012 McCann Sept. 20, 1938 2,187,137 Muszynski Jan. 16, 1940 2,200,929 McCann May 14, 1940 2,611,332 Shevchik Sept. 23, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,744 Great Britain Dec. 23, 1892 

